Guide to County Purchasing: County Purchasing Objectives

Procurement in the county is the process through which offices acquire the goods and services needed to perform their specific missions. However, county procurement can only be conducted in ways that are specifically allowed by law.

The fundamental objective of the procurement function is to provide operating departments with the goods and services they need in the right quality and quantity, on a timely basis, as efficiently as possible, and at the lowest overall cost.

In addition, the public procurement objective, by law, is to provide responsible bidders a fair and equal opportunity to compete for county business. This is accomplished by complying with statutory requirements and by the county's purchasing policy and procedures.

Although the purchasing agent does not usually designate what to buy, it should attempt to see that the best value is received for the public dollars spent.

Most importantly, the integrity of the procurement process must be enforced to maintain the public's trust and reduce the governments exposure to criticism and suit. This goal is achieved through by complying with all applicable legal provisions.